Environmental Justice & Permitting
The New York State Health Department assists the Office of Environmental Justice of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in incorporating review of human health data into the environmental permit review process. The Department of Health's guidance documents:
- assist permit applicants in displaying and reviewing health data and
- help communities and other interested parties to understand the process and results of the health data review.
Environmental justice efforts focus on improving the environment in communities, specifically minority and low-income communities, and addressing disproportionate adverse environmental impacts that may exist in those communities.
- Updated Guidance for Health Data Review and Analysis Relating to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Justice Requirements for CP-29 and 6 NYCRR 487
This document provides a detailed method for conducting health outcome data review as part of environmental justice analysis related to:
- Requirements in New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner's Policy 29 Environmental Justice and Permitting for health outcome data review and analysis for some environmental permits in potential environmental justice areas and
- Descriptions of health data for the impact study area as required by 6 NYCRR Part 487: Analyzing Environmental Justice Issues in Siting of Major Electric Generating Facilities Pursuant to Public Service Law Article 10, specifically Part 487.9.
Included are topics such as selection of comparison areas and health outcomes for display, sources of demographic information, data comparisons, and calculation of confidence intervals. Examples are shown for one impact study area in an urban setting, and one in a rural setting. This document updates previous guidance and the earlier Report of the Health Outcome Data Work Group.
- Guidance for Screening the Impact Study Area for Presence of an Environmental Justice Areas Based on Health Outcome Data
This document provides guidance to permit applicants for major electric generating facilities under New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regulation 6 NYCRR Part 487: Analyzing Environmental Justice Issues in Siting of Major Electric Generating Facilities Pursuant to Public Service Law Article 10. It describes a method to determine whether an impact study area includes an environmental justice area based on review of health outcome data.
